Thanksgiving is the time of the year to give thanks. Thanks for family, friends, health, freedom, work, training, etc., as well as all of the small things that we take for granted — the smell of gym chalk, the feel of the barbell knurling in our hands, the sound of plates being loaded and the look of the gym after a long day of work.
While I am grateful for all of these things and MANY others, this year I am the most thankful for all the chaos, pain, suffering, and problems that I had to contend with throughout my life. And while we all have problems, granted some are far worse and more extreme than others, adversity is adversity no matter who you are or how you look at it. Adversity, however, is good.
Being involved with a number of different charitable organizations over the past few years, has given me yet another reason on why I am the most thankful for adversity. For those surrounded by less-than-ideal circumstances, it blows me away how children in particular, can still break out with heart-melting smiles at the prospect of something as simple as spending a few hours in the gym. Hardship seems to strengthen their joy, not diminish it.
On this Thanksgiving Day, as we look back in history, it is impossible to contemplate the adversity of those brave Pilgrims, our forefathers. But whatwe do know is that they gave thanks because they saw the promise of their quest near at hand. In some small way at the harvest time of that first year, it looked like their dream had finally gotten itself underway. I venture to say on future Thanksgivings, however, they also were thankful for a number of other things...
Thankful for enduring the perils of the sea and becoming better sailors.
Thankful for the unknown and becoming better prepared for the unexpected.
Thankful for the starvation and becoming skilled farmers and hunters.
Thankful for the disease and illness and becoming better at medicine.
Thankful for the lack of infrastructure and becoming skilled builders.
Thankful for having nothing and becoming providers.
And, above all else, thankful for becoming strong(er) people.
For me, I know that I am certainly thankful. My adversity made me a better husband, a more caring father, a stronger friend and a more accomplished leader. It caused many sleepless nights, uncertainty, pain, stress, and hurt so deep that words can’t explain. While this may push you to the edge, it also awakens the one thing we take for granted — the ability to make a choice. It’s this choice that determines what the final outcome of adversity will be. It can end up being the “excuse” for all things we never will be, or it can be the “empowering” force to grow strong(er) through extraordinary resolve.
In the gym we learned to grow — we needed to strain, used weight we never handled before, dealt with uncertainty, stayed consistent, and pushed harder when the loads got heavier. We knew that to become strong(er), we had to fight through the pain, find ways around sticking points, have confidence and believe in ourselves. We knew we needed to prepare and preform to the best of our ability. Regardless of the outcome, if we do these things we will prevail.
While I may not be in the gym today, I am thankful for the three decades of lessons I’ve been able to live, learn and pass on.
This letter doesn’t contain any links back to elitefts™ and isn’t any type of sales promotion. It is being sent to you to thank you for your support. While most CEO’s “thank you for your support” because it is what keeps their business growing, I’m thanking you because many years ago I was introduced to the weight room and it changed my life forever.
Over the years, there were so many people I met though the gym, who gave me SO much in terms of advice, values and self-esteem. I do what I do today, not to “pay it forward,” but because I OWE it to all those who changed my life. I strive to do the same for others. THIS is what I want to thank you for: Thank you for supporting elitefts™ because this is what allows us to empower others to do the same.
Thank you and have a great Holiday Season.
